death save

noun

A maneuver in which the player roughly shifts the entire machine in an attempt to bring the ball back into play when it is almost certain to drain otherwise.

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Meanings

noundeath save (plural death saves)

plural death saves

  1. pinballA maneuver in which the player roughly shifts the entire machine in an attempt to bring the ball back into play when it is almost certain to drain otherwise.

    He slapped the flippers, racking up points, the feeling of invincibility swelling as he pulled off a perfect death save.

    2013, Tom Mendicino, KC, at Bat
    1 more example

    A “death save,” for example, involves thrusting the entire machine against an already drained ball, nudging it via a series of clever angles back into play.

    2017, Adam Ruben, Pinball Wizards
Cite this entry
APA

death save. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/death%20save

MLA

“death save.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/death%20save. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “death save,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/death%20save.

Source: death save on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.